Imagine having awful dinner guests isn’t the worst part of your night? This is very much the reality for our characters in 2021’s Barbarians. It’s a horror-thriller that could easily be someone’s least favorite film or an unnerving thrill ride that’s consumed in a way that it wasn’t intended to. What I mean by this is that Barbarians could be analyzed apart and it certainly has by other reviewers. However, if you’re simply watching this movie to get a sense of dread and experience the horrific events the characters are, then Barbarians accomplishes its job.
Slight Spoilers
The idea of a home invasion is terrifying and certainly not on the mind of the guests in the house taking place in the movie. The movie follows four people – Adam (Iwan Rheon), Eva (Catalina Sandino Moreno), Lucas (Tom Cullen) and Chloe (Inès Spiridonov). We’re given a small window into these characters in the beginning of the film, before it settles into the main setting – Adam and Eva’s home in Lucas’ brand new Utopian-style community. Only, nothing is ever perfect in paradise and that’s certainly true here.
Lucas is…well, let’s say it bluntly. He’s a tool. He’s the stereotype of an incredibly good looking man, who knows he’s good-looking, and feels this somehow gives him power over others. While claiming to be Adam’s friend, he doesn’t miss an opportunity to put him down. Whether it’s about Adam’s creative ideas, his relationship with Adam’s spouse Eva, or Adam’s stature, Lucas must look to assert himself as the “alpha male”. Every comment is somehow stroking his own ego and Lucas does his best to showcase to Adam that he is the “superior male” – his new girlfriend, Chloe; is even a former flame of Adam’s. And there’s several times it seems Lucas is trying to get with Eva – just for the mere fact that he feels he can. Again, a tool.
The Tone
Barbarians spends a lot of its time feeling like an unnerving episode of Black Mirror, without the extreme emphasis on technology. It hides that it’s a horror film up until the third act of the movie – building up a tension that has you on edge. And then the bloody stuff happens. If you went into this movie not knowing the actual plot, you’d be surprised at this reveal. And you’re certainly going to be surprised with what happens next.
Rating: 3.5/5
Barbarians is directed by Charles Dorfman and it’ll certainly satisfy any cravings you’re having some something similar to Black Mirror. Cullen was even in an episode of the Netflix series. Personally, I think Rheon leaned into his strengths here, but I’m a massive fan of the actor, so I’ll pretty much watch anything he’s in. Though Barbarians certainly gives the feel of an indie film and at times, not fully completed, it’s still an interesting story to watch. Not every aspect of the movie is fleshed out, but as I said, if you’re just looking for a home invasion bloody nightmare, then you’re in luck.
Barbarians is currently playing in select theaters and is available On Demand.
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A girl with too many fandoms to count.
